Vanessa Calviño – Panama City, Panama

I remember as a child I was like a lost soul. So I had to find the way to become the exact opposite of what I had become. Amidst all this trouble and chaos I felt the presence of God. I realized that even if I didn’t have love from my parents the way I wanted, I was God’s favorite child and I always had that in mind. His love was enough for me.”

Vanessa Calviño is a local celebrity in Panama where she is a news anchor. She even had her own retail cosmetics brand. And the constant stream of photos I see on Facebook tells me that she is an avid competitive runner. And I was so very fortunate that Vanessa was my co-producer for Portraits In Faith in Panama along with her childhood friend, Marcela Pang. Together, Vanessa and Marce took me from native Indian tribes to the Catholic Archbishop to record their wonderful stories of human life and the spiritual journey.

It was a special moment when Vanessa shared her personal story with me and I learned of her struggles in childhood. I was touched deeply when Vanessa shared the singular healing idea that saved her: “I realized that even if I didn’t have love from my parents the way I wanted, I was God’s favorite child and I always had that in mind. His love was enough for me.” This idea that each of us is God’s favorite child is so powerful, especially for those whose parents were not emotionally or physically available to love them. What was even more meaningful was to hear Marce, who was our translator, crying as her best friend shared long held truths about her life.

I also know that there is healing in these videos from one person making herself vulnerable so that another person can hear that story and say “that is me–maybe I can put my pieces back together too.”